L- HISTIDINE FOR ALLEGIES

Anyone taking L histidine for enviornmental allergies?
If so, how well does it work for you and what brand do you
take. I was researching this ammino acid and have read it
helps with enviornmental allergies.

Hi,&lt;BR&gt;
I've read your post about L-histidine, and I was wondering if you could help me. I was diagnosed with histapenia - low histamine levels. To raise histamine I was put on folic acid with b12, niacin and vit.C. It didn't help much. I started taking L-histidine instead, and I've noticed tremendous difference after 7 day of supplementation. My brain finally calmed down, depression almost nonexistent, joint problems gone and sugar cravings gone. I don't know, however, how to take it, so it wouldn't cause zinc imbalance in my tissues. I'm on hair analysis program now, and I have to take 62 mg of zinc. Does it mean that if I want to take L-histidine 500mg 3 times per day I have to take zinc total around 120mg (20mg for every 500mg)?

Lilly, to increase the conversion of histidine to histamine you need zinc and B6. But taking too much histidine will override the effect since it stabilizes mast cells.&lt;BR&gt;
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My suggestion would be 500 mg histidine, 25-100 mg zinc, and a co-enzymated form of B6 (pyridoxal-5-phosphate or P-5-P, one per day). The supplements you were put on really do nothing to raise histamine. Niacin will cause the release of histamine from the mast cells, but that's like stomping on the gas pedal to get to the service station before you run out of gas! You have to have the nutrients that are foundational first. &lt;BR&gt;
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When you start getting a lot of symptoms like hay fever or itching, then you can back off if needed. Histamine is a powerful neurotransmitter and balancing it can be tricky, but very important as you are seeing.&lt;BR&gt;
&lt;BR&gt;
Jan&lt;BR&gt;
&lt;BR&gt;

Lilly, to increase the conversion of histidine to histamine you need zinc and B6. But taking too much histidine will override the effect since it stabilizes mast cells.&lt;BR&gt;
&lt;BR&gt;
My suggestion would be 500 mg histidine, 25-100 mg zinc, and a co-enzymated form of B6 (pyridoxal-5-phosphate or P-5-P, one per day). The supplements you were put on really do nothing to raise histamine. Niacin will cause the release of histamine from the mast cells, but that's like stomping on the gas pedal to get to the service station before you run out of gas! You have to have the nutrients that are foundational first. &lt;BR&gt;
&lt;BR&gt;
When you start getting a lot of symptoms like hay fever or itching, then you can back off if needed. Histamine is a powerful neurotransmitter and balancing it can be tricky, but very important as you are seeing.&lt;BR&gt;
&lt;BR&gt;
Jan&lt;BR&gt;
&lt;BR&gt;

I have posted about this several times...taking histidine literally gave me my life back. I still have to take it every day to keep down the allergic responses (food, pollen, chemicals, etc) but the amount I take varies according to my total load.

The two brands I prefer are Montiff and Jo-Mar. You can find both on the internet. If you take histidine you do need about 15-20mg zinc for every 500mg of histidine.

Eddie, while high histamine can be a problem, especially in certain types of mental illness, there's a paradoxical effect in that the higher your blood levels of histidine, the slower the mast cells are to release histamines. For the conversion to take place it also requires zinc and B6, so for that reason I suggest that people keep their zinc levels adequate, but not high and avoid the histidine supplements that include B6 unless they are trying to use it to increase histamines (this is another topic, but it affects sexual function).

I have been using histidine for about 15 years now and even wrote a paper on it for my sports nutrition certification. It's an amazingly overlooked amino acid...many of my clients with IBS improved dramatically, too, since it decreases cytokine production in the intestines and increases calcium absorption which slows smooth muscle contraction.

thank you for clearing this up. so if i believe i have high histamine levels, i should try l-histidine? i'm guessing that the paradoxical effect is due to the fact that your body thinks you don't need the histamine if your blood histidine levels are high? i wonder if i would still experience high histamine release though after stretching or massage, which breaks up the mast cells and releases histamine regardless of histidine levels?? hmm, the plot thickens.

the connection to IBS is interesting as i've read that high histamine also contributes to the bladder problems seen in interstitial cystitis (i urinate frequently and often feel the urge to urinate even when my bladder is practically empty).

I was really scared to try histidine years ago because my histamine levels were so high I would get internal hives from most foods and I had many of the symptoms of histidelia that you shared. If I was even in the same room with a strawberry I could get hives and my hay fever was so bad I couldn't drive because I would sneeze so many times in a row!

I had severe IBS and had to carry a change of clothes with me in case of an accident. Those with IBS know what I mean - it's a horrible way to live.

But probably the worst of all was the chemical sensitivities. I seldom left my home, my children couldn't even invite friends over because I'd react to the fragrances on their clothes, and I had what back then was referred to as environmental illness.

I first read about histidine being used to treat allergies in a book on amino acids written by a British doctor. He described the paradoxical reaction and I decided to give it a try.

It all went away once I started taking histidine. But even now, if I miss a few days' doses all those symptoms start returning. I have spoken to many researchers about it, and in my case it seemed to be a problem of too much free zinc in my system (histidine chelates zinc) causing the constant release of histamines.

The other bonus benefit was that my sensitivity to the mercury in my fillings disappeared. I had sores on my tongue where it touched back fillings and dentists were afraid to remove the fillings since I had such an awful reaction to them just scraping the surface. I have since had several filling removed with no reaction. Histidine has a strong affinity as a chelator for several metals including zinc, nickel and mercury.

One other very important factor in the high histamine picture is dietary oils. Certain chains of fatty acids contribute to the formation of prostaglandins. In my case I was making too much PGE1 which is anti-inflammatory in smaller amounts, but can cause allergic reactions at higher levels. By experimenting with oils in my diet I found that sunflower oil was the best for me - it didn't increase smooth muscle contraction (related to both IBS and mast cell release) but it had enough of the good fatty acids to keep me healthy. Even now just a small amount of olive oil will cause me to have heightened food sensitivities and abdominal/uterine/bladder cramping.

It has taken me years of experimenting and research to find all these correlations, and if I hadn't contracted West Nile I would be living quite a normal life. Actually the histidine probably helped save my life when I had encephalitis because it definitely decreased the brain swelling.

Jan, I have to tell you that it was all your prior posting
on histidine that got me all excited about trying it for
my allergies. I love reading your posts and you always provide
very valuable information!Thank you for posting on this
thread and letting everyone know about histidine.

I was working with a prominent prostaglandin researcher at the time and don't even remember all the tests, but labs can measure zinc in red blood cells, plasma, serum, and urine and I think there is a test for bound versus free zinc (probably involving metallothionein).

When I take zinc my immune system goes nuts - severe pain, hives, diarrhea, hayfever, brain swelling, etc. But if I take it along with histidine I'm okay, so we were sure that I didn't have enough histidine to help with metallothionein formation and the free zinc caused the reactions.

On the other hand, not getting enough zinc while on histidine can cause constipation, stuffy nose and a greater susceptibility to bacterial infections and viruses, so it is very important to get some zinc every day along with histidine.

Those in nursing will remember Vistaril being commonly used in labor and delivery many years ago. It was combined with Demerol to help with the itching and allergic response that people often get from opiates. It also helped with nausea. It does cause drowsiness and carries a caution about driving.

I haven't seen that used in years...now the preferred antihistamine is Benadryl. I have never tolerated antihistamines and even prednisone caused a lot of problems for me. That's why I was so excited to find histidine. It didn't cause drowsiness, racing heart and brain, or have the long-term side effects of prednisone like cataracts and osteoporosis.

even though I have bi-poler I still take L-Histidine. I cant live with my allergies any other way. I have a number of medical conditions. most are helped with the L-Hisidine and so I will continue to take it. I have RA and well as MS and sever allergies. Having said all of that I watch the amount of L-Histidine I take because I am worried about my mental health as well. I will take it for 3 weeks out of a month and then not take it for 4 or 5 days. It has worked so far and my Bi-poler is under control.

Dear Jan, re your post on histidine. Very impressed with your knowlege and wondered if you could please help me. For many years I have lost almost all sensitivity in the penis. I also suffer with lower back pain, fatigue, cold hands, cold feet, depression, muscle pains. My doctor has not been helpful. They did lots of blood tests and could only find low vitamin d and slightly slow testosterone. She gave me testosterone patches which improved my erections but did nothing for the sensitivity issue. My vitamin D level is now normal according to my doctor. She still won't allow me to see a urologist. I am suffering from delayed ejaculation, sometimes it will take me up to an hour to ejaculate. Obviously this has put a great strain on my relationship and I've really gone off sex altogether. I've read that men with low histamine levels often suffer with delayed ejaculation. How do I go about increasing my histamine levels? How much l-histidine should I take per day and should I also take zinc and b6 and if so how much? Please any help greatly appreciated, really desperate for help. To be honest I really don't want to go on living, I've suffered for so many years.

I was trying to find an article by Durk Pearson and Sandy Shaw (Life Extension founders) which goes into detail about this, but haven't turned it up yet. &lt;BR&gt;
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In general, the treatment would be 500 mg histidine, 50 mg zinc and 50 mg of Pyridoxal 5' Phosphate or P-5-P which is an active form of B6. The zinc and B6 push the histidine toward forming histamines. Even eating foods high in histamines can help: http://histame.com/histamine-rich-foods-substances Many of these foods are historically considered aphrodesiacs for that reason.&lt;BR&gt;
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If you are taking any antihistamines or anti-depressants on a regular basis, that could be contributing. But I would suspect nerve damage in the lower thoracic or the lumbar region because of your other symptoms. Can you get a referral to a neurologist so you can get a MRI? &lt;BR&gt;
&lt;BR&gt;
Jan

This is a really interesting thread! &lt;BR&gt;
One thing I am confused about is that I take antihistamines for chronic hives, so why would I want to make more histamine?&lt;BR&gt;
—also—&lt;BR&gt;
I am miserable…I've had mystery hives since before Christmas. I got 2 steroid shots, 2 Kenalog shots, and a week of Prenisone (made me go up a pants size!!) &lt;BR&gt;
I currently take Zantac 2x daily, Zyrtec 1x daily, hydroxyzine as needed (doesn't really work anymore and has crappy side effects), Flonase, and sometimes Benadryl so I can sleep through at least part of the night. I've tried Benadryl cream, Lanacaine, Cortaid, Aveeno baths, tea tree oil, Caladryl, and baking soda concoctions. Nothing works.&lt;BR&gt;
The doctors seem to think that urticaria is something I need to tough out, and that intense itching isn't really a medical issue. As I'm sure you know, it really interferes with life! I can't get in to see the dermatologist until mid-February, and they are spreading every day. I'd seriously rather have a root canal. &lt;BR&gt;
If this histidine stuff works, it'll be a Godsend. How long did it take before it started working for you?&lt;BR&gt;
Thanks for all your insight!&lt;BR&gt;
Itchy Okie

I noticed some relief within a few hours. If I get hives on my tongue and sprinkle the powder directly on my tongue it lets up in minutes. I used to get hives in my mouth, throat and stomach. &lt;BR&gt;
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Even though histamines are made from histidine, as your blood levels increase, the conversion decreases and the mast cells quit releasing the histamines. The conversion is facilitated by zinc and B6, so if you're taking those supplements, you're increasing histamines. You need some of each, but not as much as would be in single supplements. &lt;BR&gt;
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During allergy season I take much more...up to a teaspoon of powder a day. This time of year I need much less unless I eat something I'm allergic to. &lt;BR&gt;
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If you're taking all those things for allergies and STILL have itching, then it sounds like a systemic issue. Have your doctors looked into that? Here's a good article from American Family Physician. If you do a search on &quot;pruritus&quot; you'll see many other medical resources about it:&lt;BR&gt;
http://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0715/p195.html&lt;BR&gt;
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If Prednisone didn't help, then histidine may not help because it works by naturally increasing your own cortisol levels. &lt;BR&gt;
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Jan&lt;BR&gt;
&lt;BR&gt;

Jan,&lt;BR&gt;
Thanks for the reply! &lt;BR&gt;
What does &quot;systemic&quot; mean? Something that is wrong within my body? The dermatologist did a biopsy of one of the hives 2 years ago—the results were that it was a hive, nothing more. I really wish I could figure out the trigger! Last time I about took my dog's cyclosporine...hope it doesn't come to that, ha.&lt;BR&gt;
My doctors haven't looked into anything seriously...they just inject/stuff me full of steroids. The shot lasts a day or so, and the pills worked for the most part for the week I was on them. I don't really want to try any more steroids as I went up a pants size in under a week and a half, and so soon before my insurance physical! I'm really frustrated. I can't get anyone to listen to me about the itching/hives/weight gain. I feel pretty helpless—I can handle pain, but not itch! And I usually don't believe the hype about vitamins and &quot;natural&quot; stuff...it never ever works for me, but at this point I'll try anything. The local health food store has some histidine on order, and I'm praying it works/helps. I'll let you know &lt;BR&gt;
Thanks again!

If they are normal hives, then hopefully it will help. You can read in the article about systemic causes for itching. The one I have seen the most often is gallbladder related. Thyroid problems can also cause constant itching. &lt;BR&gt;
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You might want to ask for a 24 hour urine cortisol test and see how your levels look. There are also companies that test for saliva levels (I think you do a collection every 6 hours). &lt;BR&gt;
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Some of the brands of histidine like TwinLab contain B6...you don't want that. The best sources are JoMar Labs in California and Beauty 'n Health (Montiff or Tyson brands). They are both available online. &lt;BR&gt;
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Have you looked for external causes? One of my daughters is so allergic to formaldehyde that she has to be very careful about her sheets. (I think it's either in the dye or the wrinkle-free treatment.) If it's constant, then it may be something you're exposed to every day. One of my granddaughters gets hives from dogs and cats. I can get them from polyester fabric. It can be quite a mystery!

for the help and advice! I finally got in to see a doctor that took me seriously, and he ordered about 5-6 lab tests for autoimmune disease, thyroid function, and other stuff.&lt;BR&gt;
This &quot;thing&quot; that's going on is so unusual...at first it was hives, then severe itching that would travel from one body part to another, and it is always worse at night and right when I wake up. Sometimes hives appear with pressure (I rubbed an aloe leaf on my legs and hives popped up from the pressure)—sometimes my skin is kind of blotchy, and sometimes I can't see anything. &lt;BR&gt;
Back in early January, I did the whole process of elimination thing, asking myself &quot;what has changed?&quot; Three things came to mind: the Christmas tree, the Dwarf Alberta Spruce miniature Christmas tree (which I had in the house), and the neighborhood cat we started feeding a few months prior. So, I put the trees outside and quit petting the cat and handling anything that he touched. No change. Now I am on 5-6 antihistamines, so things are better, but I can't live my life on so many allergy meds. &lt;BR&gt;
It sounds like you and your family have really been through the wringer! I can't imagine how difficult it must be to be so allergic to so many things. Does your daughter have to use special detergent for clothes/sheets? &lt;BR&gt;
I think the health food store carries Twinlab...is that an inferior brand or is it b/c it has B6 in it? Can B6 affect the histidine? &lt;BR&gt;
Anyway, I'll let you know what the labs results are, if you're curious &lt;BR&gt;
I doubt that they will reveal anything, though. &lt;BR&gt;
Thanks again!&lt;BR&gt;
Okie